I have been following you. I am impressed. You have been at the top for a while. Enjoy your success. Focus on the your original objectives. I believe you did it for yourself ... you want to win this stupid thing. You entered here on their site, accepting their rules & their measure of success. You either make #1 or you do not. I hope you are not rationalizing or getting distracted. This is not easy. I think you will do it before Fall 2009. Please do not scew up, I base many trades on you.

Porty, sorry to yank your chain, but you can't have any advice since you say you rarely post an opinion on your blog.

I'll refrain from posting a link for obvious reasons. ;)

Those of you that are yes men or buy and hold types can find gold amongst Porty's picks though. If you dogpile though, at least try to figure out why your dogpiling. That rule goes for anybody you choose to dogpile.

Reuters, Tuesday July 28 2009 SYDNEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Australia's top central banker on Tuesday said the economy had fared well enough that upside risks to the outlook now balanced out those on the downside, noting the danger that low interest rates could inflate home prices. Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Glenn Stevens said a very real challenge ahead would be to ensure that low mortgage rates led to an increase in home construction and not just higher home prices. "If we fail to do that...then it will be very disappointing, indeed quite disturbing," Stevens told a charity lunch. Not only would it confirm serious supply-side impediments to producing affordable housing in Australia, "it would also pose elevated risks of problems of over-leverage and asset price deflation down the track", he added. Stevens said the dangers of too much borrowing chasing up asset prices had been all too evident in other countries. "These risks have been reasonably contained so far in Australia, but it would be prudent not to push our luck here," said Stevens. He noted a significant increase in demand for home loans and that house prices were tending to rise, in marked contrast to many other developed nations. That was one reason the Australian economy was weathering the global financial crisis better than many others. "It appears at this stage, that the downturn we are having may turn out not to be one of the more serious ones of the post-War era," he said. "We can much more easily imagine upside risks to the outlook, to balance out the downside ones, than was the case six months ago." Both business and consumer confidence had improved, aided by low interest rates and fiscal stimulus. The central bank cut its key cash rate by a massive 425 basis points between September and April, taking it to a record low of 3.0 percent. The economy has since fared better than feared, leading financial markets to price out almost any chance of another easing. Instead, investors have been wagering the next move would be a tightening, possibly in the first quarter of 2010. Stevens said nothing directly on the outlook for interest rates in his speech, though his emphasis on upside risks for the economy could reinforce market expectations of tightening. Stevens noted another challenge for Australia would be if global commodity prices remained at elevated levels, as was possible given demand from emerging economies like China. In that case the mining and resource sectors of the Australian economy would likely expand further, while other sectors would tend to contract, leading to imbalances. "Moreover, if we are more integrated into China's expansion, we will be similarly more exposed to the consequences of whatever might go wrong in that country," he warned. Looking abroad, Stevens said the extraordinary measures many countries had taken to support household demand and their financial sectors would likely have to remain for some time yet. But policy makers would have to remove such exceptional accommodation eventually, including any guarantees for bank funding, he said. Indeed, he warned against a world where the bulk of debt was government issued or guaranteed, since that could make investors complacent and lead banks to take dangerous risks. (Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Mark Bendeich)

#597) On July 21, 2009 at 8:43 AM, portefeuille (99.99) wrote:warningafter the "disaster" that comment #595 turned out to be I would advise everyone to listen to my "outperform" calls and maybe my "underperform" calls, but not to my "end outperform/underperform" calls.

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The "disaster" was ending the call when HGSI was at $3.69 (call was started at $0.50). HGSI is currently at ca. $14.00 ...